[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa) › [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མདོ་སྡེའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557) › [The Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light (3)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000) › 4 # འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མད་སྡའ་དབང་པའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 4 The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) 4 - **Language:** English ### [4.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.2) I pay homage to Śākyamuni, who lights the lamp of the Dharma, the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha whose body is adorned by many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of qualities. I pay homage to the great goddess Śrī, who has a perfection of immeasurable grains and a fortune of qualities. I pay homage to the great goddess Sarasvatī, in whom is the unity of measureless qualities of wisdom. “Then, at that time,²⁹² King Balendraketu²⁹³ said to his son, King Ruciraketu, soon after he was enthroned²⁹⁴ and when he was the new sovereign, ‘Soon after I was enthroned, I received from my father, King Varendraketu,²⁹⁵ the treatise on kingship called The Commitment of the Lord of Devas. For twenty thousand years I ruled in accordance with this treatise on kingship, The Commitment of the Lord of Devas. Up until now, I have not been known to follow any ways that are not the Dharma for even an instant. So, son, what is this treatise on kingship, The Commitment of the Lord of Devas?’ “Then, at that time, in that time, noble goddess, King Balendraketu²⁹⁶ taught extensively, through these verses, the treatise on kingship, The Commitment of the Lord of Devas, to his son King Ruciraketu: “ ‘I will teach the treatise on kingship Which benefits all beings, Cuts through all doubts, And destroys all wrongdoing. “ ‘Each and every king, Have a joyful mind! And with palms together, listen to All the commitments of the lord of devas. “ ‘On this lord of mountains, Vajraprākara, The lords of the devas assembled, And the protectors of the world stood up In order to question the lord of Brahmās: “ ‘ “You, Brahmā, the principal deity, ### [4.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.3) The one who is the lord over all devas, We pray that you cut through our doubts And cut through our concerns. “ ‘ “Why is a king, who has been born In the human world, called a deva? For what reason is a king Given the title of ‘son of the devas’? “ ‘ “If he is a deva, then why is it that He is born into this world of humans, Becomes a lord of humans, And acts as a king for humans?”²⁹⁷ “ ‘The protectors of the world asked Those questions of the lord of Brahmās, And that principal deity, Brahmā, Said these words to the protectors of the world: “ ‘ “The world protectors have thus Asked me such kinds of questions, So I will teach an excellent treatise In order to bring benefit to beings. “ ‘ “I will describe the births Of kings within human existences And the causes through which They become the kings of their domains. “ ‘ “Blessed by the lords of devas, He will enter the mother’s uterus, First, he is blessed by the devas, And afterward, he comes into the womb. “ ‘ “Although born in the human world, He becomes a lord of humans. As he is born from the devas, He is called ‘a son of the devas.’ “ ‘ “The deva lords of Trāyastriṃśa state, ‘You are the child of all the devas.’ They bestow upon him the right to be king And he emanates to become a lord of humans. “ ‘ “He brings to an end all evil acts And destroys that which is not Dharma. He establishes beings in good works In order to direct them to the paradises. “ ‘ “The lord of men, whether A human or a gandharva, A caṇḍāla or a rākṣasa, Prevents wickedness. “ ‘ “The lord of men is a father and mother For those who engage in good actions. He has been blessed by the kings of devas²⁹⁸ To teach them the ripening of results. “ ‘ “He has been blessed by the kings of devas²⁹⁹ In order to teach the ripened results Of the karma of performing good actions And performing bad actions in this life. “ ‘ “Whenever a king does nothing about The wicked inhabitants in his realm ### [4.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.4) And does not appropriately punish The people who are guilty of bad acts, “ ‘ “And ignores the evils that are done, Then unrighteousness will increase greatly, Conflicts and dishonesty Will subsequently arise in the land, “ ‘ “And the lords of devas³⁰⁰ will be disturbed Within their Trāyastriṃśa palace. Whenever a king does nothing about The wicked inhabitants in his realm, “ ‘ “Then there will be terrible dishonesty, And dreadful people will vanquish his land. The armies of adversaries will invade And will completely destroy that land, “ ‘ “And they will destroy property and families. People will steal from one another, Using many forms of dishonesty, Whatever wealth has been accumulated. ³⁰¹ “ ‘ “There are the duties of kingship, And if those activities are not carried out, Then he will destroy his own kingdom Like a king of elephants destroys a pond. “ ‘ “Disastrous winds will blow, Disastrous rains will fall, And the sun, the moon, the planets, And lunar asterisms will bring disaster. “ ‘ “In the land where the king is impassive, Seeds, harvests, flowers, and fruit Will fail to ripen properly And famines will occur. “ ‘ “Whenever a king does nothing about The wicked inhabitants in his realm, Then the devas in their palaces Will at that time become displeased.³⁰² “ ‘ “All of those lords of devas Will be saying to one another, ‘This king³⁰³ has no righteousness; He is on the side of unrighteousness.’ “ ‘ “Such a king will before long Cause the devas to be disturbed, And because the devas are disturbed, His kingdom will be completely destroyed. “ ‘ “Unrighteousness will arise in that land, And it will also be destroyed by weapons.³⁰⁴ Dishonesty and conflicts And also illness will arise. “ ‘ “The lords of devas will be enraged And the devas will abandon him. The kingdom will be destroyed And the king will encounter misery. “ ‘ “He will be separated from those he loves Whether they be brothers or sons. He will even be separated from his beloved wife ### [4.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.5) Or it will be that his daughter will die. “ ‘ “There will be shooting stars that will fall, And similarly there will appear comets, And the armies of invading enemies And famines will drastically take place. “ ‘ “His cherished minister and Cherished elephant will die. Afterward, his cherished Camels will also die.³⁰⁵ “ ‘ “People will steal from one another Homes, possessions, and wealth. In this and that region, they will Strike³⁰⁶ one another with weapons. “ ‘ “There will arise in those regions Fighting, quarreling, and dishonesty. A demon will enter the kingdom And there will be dreadful illnesses. “ ‘ “After that, even the recipients of Offerings will become unrighteous. His court and his ministers Will also become unrighteous. “ ‘ “Those individuals who are righteous Will constantly be punished. If unrighteous individuals are honored And the righteous are punished, “ ‘ “Because the malevolent are loved and honored, And because the good are punished, In that place water, lunar asterisms, And wind, those three, will become agitated.³⁰⁷ “ ‘ “If unrighteous beings are favored, There are three things that will be destroyed: The vital essence of the flavor of the Dharmas, The vitality of beings, and the fecundity of the earth. “ ‘ “Through honoring evil people And dishonoring good people, There are three things that will occur: Death, lightning, and famine. “ ‘ “Afterward, the vitality and flavor Of fruits and harvests will vanish,³⁰⁸ And in those regions there will be A multitude of people with illnesses. “ ‘ “Although that land had fruits That were large and sweet, They will become bitter and hot, And they will become small. “ ‘ “Games, amusements, and pleasures, Those things that previously had been enjoyed, Will be disliked and no longer pleasurable, And instead there will be dismay from hundreds of troubles. “ ‘ “The luster and the vitality Of the harvests and fruits will perish, And they will not bring satisfaction To the body, the elements, or the senses. ### [4.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.6) “ ‘ “Beings will have bad complexions, Little strength, and will be emaciated.³⁰⁹ Even though they eat a lot of food, They will not become satiated. “ ‘ “They will afterward cease to have Strength, power, and diligence. In that land, there will be Beings with weak diligence. “ ‘ “There will be many sick beings Afflicted by various diseases. There will planets and lunar asterisms That arise from various rākṣasas. “ ‘ “The king who is not righteous, Who is on the side of unrighteousness, Will in the circle of the three worlds Be destructive for the three realms. “ ‘ “When those on the side of the king Who perform evil acts are left alone, Then many of such evil actions Will arise within those lands. “ ‘ “If the king ignores evil actions, He does not fulfill the purpose For which the lords of devas Blessed him to become a king. “ ‘ “Through having done good actions, Beings are reborn in the paradises. Through doing bad actions, they are Reborn as pretas, in hells, and as animals. “ ‘ “Whenever a king does nothing about The wicked inhabitants in his realm, Then through those evil acts being done, Beings will fall from the Trāyastriṃśa paradise. “ ‘ “If he is not acting as a king,³¹⁰ Then he will also not be a son, And in the realm of his fathers, the deva kings,³¹¹ He will have become guilty of a crime. “ ‘ “When a kingdom is being destroyed By extremely terrible dishonesty, It is for that reason that the lords of devas Blessed him to become a king in the human realm. “ ‘ “A king is someone who manifests For beings the results of karma in that life. He is someone who initiates good actions In order to cause evil acts to cease. “ ‘ “Someone is called a king because their actions Are in order to teach the difference between The results that ripen from the karma Of having done good or having done bad. “ ‘ “He was blessed by the multitudes of devas For the benefit of himself and the benefit of others, And for the benefit of the Dharma in that land, And all those devas³¹² are gladdened by him. ### [4.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.7) “ ‘ “To subdue the deceitful, evil people Who are inhabitants in his domains, And to benefit the Dharma in his kingdom, He will give away his life and his kingship. “ ‘ “To accept unrighteousness And to knowingly pay it no attention Is a dreadful danger for the realm With which nothing else can compare. “ ‘ “When there is the appearance of dishonesty, If those who are dishonest are not punished, Then afterward there will be in the land Extremely dreadful dishonest people. “ ‘ “They will destroy that kingdom Like elephants do a great pond. The lords of devas will also become angry, And it will bring ruin to the paradises. “ ‘ “Everything in the land Will become pernicious. Therefore, the evil actions of those who Are wicked should be successively subdued. “ ‘ “He should protect the kingdom with righteousness, And he should never practice unrighteousness. He should not become a sinful lord,³¹³ Even if he has to give up his life. “ ‘ “Toward his family and other people, Toward all the people in his kingdom, The king should not show favoritism Through which he will fall into bias. “ ‘ “The renown of a king who is Righteous will fill the three worlds, And he will bring joy to the lords of devas Who are in the Trāyastriṃśa paradise. “ ‘ “They will think, ‘Our son in Jambudvīpa Is in this way a righteous king. He displays³¹⁴ a Dharma kingdom, And establishes beings in good actions.’ “ ‘ “The king, through his good actions, Inspires beings in this world to think That the paradises are being filled With devas and the children of devas. “ ‘ “Displaying there a Dharma kingdom Will cause the kings to rejoice. The lords of devas will favor him, And they will protect that human king. “ ‘ “The sun, the moon, and similarly The lunar asterisms will move perfectly. The winds will arise at the proper times, And the rains will also come at the right time. “ ‘ “There will be excellent harvests in the kingdom And likewise in the realms of the devas. The devas and the children of devas Will fill the abodes of the devas. ### [4.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.8) “ ‘ “In that way, the monarch will Give up his own dear life In order to make the world happy And not give up the precious Dharma. “ ‘ “The one who is adorned by good qualities Relies on being in possession of righteousness. He constantly makes beings happy, And he constantly rejects bad actions. “ ‘ “He protects the realm with righteousness, And he correctly teaches righteousness. He establishes beings in good actions And turns them away from bad actions. “ ‘ “When he correctly subjugates Those who commit bad actions, There will be good harvests in the kingdom And the king will have majesty. “ ‘ “The king will be renowned And will protect the happiness of beings.” ’ ” Chapter 13: Susaṃbhava “Whenever I was a cakravartin king, I gave away the earth with its oceans. I offered the four continents Filled with jewels to the past jinas. “Because I sought the Dharma body, There was nothing in the past that was pleasant And cherished that I did not give away, And in many eons, I even gave up my cherished life. “Many countless eons ago, I was King Susaṃbhava Within the teaching of the sugata Ratnaśikhin, A sugata who had passed into nirvāṇa. “He was a cakravartin who ruled the four continents, And he reigned³¹⁵ over the land as far as the oceans. At that time, the excellent king went to sleep In the royal palace for the teaching of the lord of jinas. “In a dream, he heard the qualities of a buddha, And in the middle of his sleep,³¹⁶ he clearly saw The dharmabhāṇaka Ratnoccaya Teaching this lord of the sūtras. “That king awoke from his sleep, His entire body filled with joy. He reverently left the royal capital And approached the excellent śrāvaka saṅgha. ### [4.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.9) “He made offerings to the Jina’s śrāvakas, And he questioned this ārya saṅgha About the dharmabhāṇaka Ratnoccaya: ‘Where is Ratnoccaya, the bhikṣu with qualities?’ “At that time, Ratnoccaya Was dwelling in another cave In a state of happiness, contemplating And reciting this king of sūtras. “Just then they showed the king The dharmabhāṇaka Ratnoccaya, Shining with perfect, glorious magnificence And residing in another cave. “There the dharmabhāṇaka Ratnoccaya, Who possessed the profound range of the jinas,³¹⁷ Was constantly teaching the lord king of sūtras That is called The Sublime Golden Light. “King Susaṃbhava bowed down To the feet of Ratnoccaya and said, ‘I pray to you, who has a face like the full moon, to teach The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.’ “When Ratnoccaya promised that king, Susaṃbhava, that he would do so, All the devas throughout all the worlds In the trichiliocosm became overjoyed. “At that time, the lord of men sprinkled Precious water and scented water In a pure and superior place, Scattered flower petals, and arranged a throne. “The king adorned that throne with many thousands Of parasols, banners, and rolls of silk. The king scattered upon that throne Various kinds of excellent sandalwood. “Devas, nāgas, asuras, kinnaras, Yakṣa lords, yakṣas, and mahoragas Rained down upon that throne A shower of divine coral tree flowers. “Countless thousands of quintillions of devas Who longed for the Dharma arrived, And they scattered sal³¹⁸ flowers When Ratnoccaya was brought forth. “The dharmabhāṇaka Ratnoccaya Washed his body and wore clean robes, And when he approached that throne With his palms together, he bowed to it. ### [4.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.10) “The deva lords, the devas and devīs Residing in the sky, sent down a rain Of coral tree flowers and played Countless thousands of musical instruments. “The dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu Ratnoccaya, Remembering countless thousands of millions Of buddhas in the ten directions, Mounted the throne and sat upon it. “Thinking of all beings with kindness And developing a compassionate mind, At that time he taught this sūtra To that king, Susaṃbhava. “The king bowed with palms together And rejoiced in each single word. Through the Dharma’s power he shed tears, And his body was permeated with joy. “In order to make an offering to this sūtra, At that time King Susaṃbhava held up A king of precious wish-fulfilling jewels And made a prayer for the benefit of all beings: “ ‘May there rain down on this Jambudvīpa Jewelry that contains the seven jewels And whatever great wealth³¹⁹ that will bring Happiness to the beings in this Jambudvīpa.’ “Just then a rain of the seven jewels, Of armlets, necklaces, and excellent earrings, And similarly, food, drink, and clothing Rained down upon the four continents. “When King Susaṃbhava saw That precious rain fall on Jambudvīpa, He offered the four continents that were Filled with jewels to the teaching of Ratnaśikhin.³²⁰ “I, the Tathāgata Śākyamuni, was The king named Susaṃbhava, And at that time I offered up this earth With its four continents filled with jewels. “The dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu Ratnoccaya, Who was the one at that time who taught This sūtra to King Susaṃbhava, Became the Tathāgata Akṣobhya. “Because of the good karma from Listening at that time to this sūtra And rejoicing in each single word, Because of rejoicing and hearing the Dharma, ### [4.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.11) “I always have a body that is golden in color, Has the signs of a hundred merits, Is beautiful to behold and a pleasure for the eyes, And when seen gladdens ten billion devas and gladdens beings. “For ninety-nine trillion eons I became a cakravartin king, And for many hundreds of thousands of eons I have experienced being the king of a realm.³²¹ “For countless eons I have been Śakras, and likewise I have been lords of Brahmās with peaceful³²² minds, And I have attained³²³ the unquantifiable ten strengths, The extent of which can never be known. “Through the immeasurable accumulation of abundant merit From my hearing and rejoicing in this sūtra, I attained the enlightenment that I had aspired to, And I also attained the sublime Dharma body.” Chapter 14: The Protection Given by Yakṣas “Great goddess Śrī, any noble man or noble woman who has faith and wishes to make an inconceivably, extremely vast and great offering of requisites to the past, future, and present buddha bhagavats, and wishes to know the profound field of activity of the past, future, and present buddhas, whether in a temple or in a wilderness, in whatever place The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is being correctly taught, in that place they should, with an undoubting and undistracted mind, pay attention and listen to this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.” Then the Bhagavat, in order to describe this extensively to the assembly, recited these verses: “Someone who wishes to make an Inconceivable offering to all the buddhas, And wishes to know the profound Field of activity of all the buddhas, “Should go to the place, whether It is a temple or a dwelling, ### [4.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.12) Where is taught this³²⁴ sūtra of The Sublime Golden Light. “This sūtra is inconceivable; Its ocean of qualities is endless, And it liberates all beings From the oceans of many sufferings.³²⁵ “I see the beginning of this sūtra And also its middle and its conclusion. This lord of sūtras is extremely profound. There is no analogy that exists for it. “All of the particles that exist In the Ganges and on the earth, In the oceans and in the sky, Cannot serve as an analogy for it. “The entrance to the Dharma realm Should be entered at that time. Jina Śākyamuni should be seen In the center of a stūpa, “Which is the profound, enduring stūpa That is the embodiment of the Dharma, Teaching this sūtra perfectly With a voice that is beautiful. “May the happiness of³²⁶ devas And of humans be experienced For as many countless, innumerable Millions of eons as there are. “Whoever listens to this sūtra Should think they will accomplish My inconceivable accumulation of merit; At that time they should know this to be so. “Someone should, in order to listen to this sūtra, Be able to endure the intense pain Of crossing over a hundred-yojana-wide Moat filled with a blazing inferno. “Then as soon as they enter into The temple or the dwelling, Their bad karma will be eliminated And all the qualities of nightmares, “Harm from planets and lunar asterisms, And terrible evil spirits and demons Will be entirely driven away The moment that they enter there. “There the dharmabhāṇaka should make a seat That is in the form of a lotus Exactly as has been revealed By nāga kings in a dream.³²⁷ “Having sat upon that seat, They should teach this sūtra, Write it out, and read it out loud, And similarly, they should learn it. “After they have risen from that seat, Even if they go to another land, Miraculous manifestations Will appear on that seat. “Sometimes the form of the Dharmabhāṇaka will appear there, ### [4.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.13) And sometimes the form of a buddha, Sometimes that of a bodhisattva, “Sometimes that of Samantabhadra, Sometimes that of Mañjuśrī, And sometimes that of Maitreya Will appear upon that seat. “Sometimes only light will appear. Sometimes devas will appear— They will appear there briefly, And then they will disappear. “If a buddha is seen, there will be praise.³²⁸ Everything will be accomplished. There will be perfect grain and good fortune. This is an omen emanated by the Buddha.³²⁹ “There will be victory and glory and fame. Those who are adversaries will be repulsed. The opposing armies of enemies will defeated. Enemies will be vanquished in battle. “All nightmares will come to an end. All bad actions will be eliminated; All bad actions will be brought to an end, There will be victory in battle.³³⁰ “One will have fame that will spread Throughout the entirety of this Jambudvīpa. All the enemies that he has Will be completely defeated. “Enemies will constantly be vanquished. All bad actions will be abandoned. There will be victory in battle, Freedom from enemies, and perfect joy. “The Lord of Brahmās, the Lord of Trāyastriṃśa, And similarly the guardians of the world; Vajrapāṇi who is the lord of yakṣas; Saṃjñeya, the supreme victorious leader; “The lord of nāgas, Anavatapta; And likewise Sāgara, The lord of kinnaras and lord of asuras; And also the lord of the garuḍas— “Those and also all such others, Every one of all of the devas— Will constantly make offerings to The inconceivable stūpa of the Dharma, And they will feel great joy on seeing Beings who have reverence. “The supreme lords of the devas Will all in their minds be thinking, And every one of the devas Will be saying to one another, “ ‘Look at them, they who have Accumulated merit, glory, and majesty! Those humans who have developed³³¹ Good roots have arrived here. ### [4.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.14) “ ‘They have come here To listen to this profound sūtra. They have reverence for the stūpa of the Dharma, With their faith that is inconceivable. “ ‘They have compassion for the world And they bring benefit to beings. They are vessels for the flavor of the sublime Dharma That comes from the profound Dharmas. “ ‘They have entered through The entrance to the Dharma realm. They who listen to this sublime goodness, The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light, “ ‘Have in the past made offerings To a hundred thousand buddhas; It is because of those good roots That they are listening to the sūtra.’ “All the lords and kings of devas— Sarasvatī, and similarly Śrī and Vaiśravaṇa, And similarly the Four Mahārājas,³³² “And the hundred thousand yakṣas Who have great might and miraculous powers— All of them in the four directions³³³ Will give them perfect protection. “Indra, Soma, and Yama, Vāyu and Varuṇa, Skanda, Viṣṇu, Sarasvatī, Consumer of Burnt Offerings, and Prajāpati,³³⁴ “Those who with great power subjugate adversaries, All those protectors of the world, Day and night, never inattentive, Will give them their protection. ³³⁵ “The yakṣa lords that have great might³³⁶— Nārāyaṇa and Maheśvara, Saṃjñeya, and also the rest of The other twenty-eight yakṣas,³³⁷ “And the hundred thousand yakṣas With their great might and miraculous powers— Will give them their protection From all terror and fears. “Vajrapāṇi, the lord of yakṣas, With five hundred yakṣas And all the bodhisattvas, Will give them his protection. “Maṇibhadra, the lord of yakṣas, And similarly, Pūrṇabhadra, Kumbhīra and Aṭāvika, Piṅgala and Kapila— “Each of those lords of yakṣas, Accompanied by five hundred yakṣas— Will give their protection to Those who listen to this sūtra. “Gandharva and Citrasena, Jinarāja and Jinarṣabha, ### [4.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.15) Maṇikaṇṭha and Nikaṇṭha, And similarly Varṣādhipati; “Mahāgrāsa and Mahākāla,³³⁸ And similarly also Svarṇakeśin, Pāñcika and Chagalapāda, And similarly Mahābhāga; “Praṇālin and Dharma Protector, Markaṭa and also Vāli, Sūciroma and Sūryamitra,³³⁹ And similarly Ratnakeśa; “Mahāpraṇālin and Nakula, Kāmaśreṣṭha and Candana, Nāgāyana³⁴⁰ and Haimavata, And similarly Sātāgirista— “All of them, who have great might, Subjugate adversaries, and have miraculous power— Will give their protection to Those who listen to this sūtra. “The nāga lord Anavatapta, And similarly Sāgara, Both Elapatra and Mucilinda, And Nanda and Upananda, “With a hundred thousand nāgas With great might and miraculous powers, Will give them their protection From all terrors and fears. “Bali, Rāhu, and Namuci, Vemacitra and Saṃvara, Prahrāda and Kharaskandha, And similarly the other lords of asuras, “With a hundred thousand asuras With great might and miraculous powers, Will give them their protection From all terrors and fears. “Hārītī, the mother of spirits, With her five hundred children, Will give them their protection While they sit, sleep, or are intoxicated.³⁴¹ “Caṇḍā and Caṇḍālikā, And similarly the yakṣiṇīs Caṇḍikā, Armed with Spear³⁴² and Kūṭadantī, And also Seeing All Sentient Beings³⁴³— “All of them, who have great might, Subjugate adversaries, and have miraculous power— Will give their protection to them Everywhere in the four directions. “Sarasvatī and all the other Countless numbers of goddesses, And similarly Śrī and All of the other goddesses— “The goddess of the earth and The goddesses of harvests, fruits, and forests; Those who dwell in parks, trees, and caityas; And the goddesses of the wind— “Every one of those goddesses, ### [4.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.16) With their minds filled with joy, Will here give their protection To those who delight in this sūtra. “They will bestow on those beings Life and color and strength, And will constantly adorn them with perfect Glory and merit and magnificence. “They will end all harm from The planets and the lunar asterisms. They will bring to an end all troubles, Bad actions, and nightmares. “The goddess of the earth herself, Who has depth and great strength, Will be satiated by the flavor of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. “For sixty-eight thousand Times a hundred yojanas, As far down as the vajra foundation, The fertility of the earth will increase. “The fertility of the earth that has sunk A whole hundred yojanas below Will rise back upward And enrich the surfaces. “Every one of all those devas, through The power of listening to the sūtra, Will be satiated by the flavor of The Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. “They will become perfectly brilliant,³⁴⁴ And similarly they will have strength. They will be happy and satisfied. Throughout the entirety of Jambudvīpa,³⁴⁵ “The devas of fruits, harvests, and forests Will be satisfied by various flavors, And they will be completely delighted, Satisfied by the flavor of the sūtra. “Then the fruits and the harvests, And the various kinds of flowers And the various kinds of fruit trees, Will all develop perfectly. “All the fruit trees, The parks, and the forests Will blossom with flowers Emitting their various aromas. “All the plants and trees That have various kinds of flowers And various kinds of fruits Will grow upon the earth. “Throughout the entirety of this Jambudvīpa, There will be innumerable nāga maidens Whose minds will become filled with joy, And they will come to where the ponds are. “And there will grow in all the ponds A variety of night lotuses, Red lotuses, and similarly Blue lotuses and white lotuses. ### [4.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.17) “In the sky there will be no smoke, And it will not be covered by clouds. There will be no darkness and no dust, And everywhere will be completely bright. “A bright and beautiful net of light rays That has a thousand rays of sunlight Brings the most perfect joy With its profound brightness. “Even that lord, the deva Sūrya, Dwelling in his divine palace Made of Jambū River³⁴⁶ gold, Will gain satisfaction through this sūtra. “When Lord Sūrya is gladdened, He will shine onto Jambudvīpa, And he will completely illuminate it With an infinite net of light rays. “Simply through his rising, He will shine a net of light rays, And the lotuses that fill A variety of ponds will open. “Throughout the entirety of this Jambudvīpa, The various flowers, fruits, and herbs Will perfectly, completely ripen, And the entire earth will be satisfied. “The moon and the sun also Will at that time be brighter. The lunar asterisms will move perfectly, And similarly so will the winds. “Throughout all of Jambudvīpa There will be excellent harvests. Wherever this sūtra is present, That kingdom will be preeminent.” Chapter 15: The Prophecy to Ten Thousand Devas When the Bhagavat had said that, the noble goddess Bodhisattvasamuccayā asked him, “Venerable Bhagavat, through what cause and what condition, and through what accomplishment and accumulation of planting good roots, have Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and these other ten thousand devas now come from the Trāyastriṃśa paradise, having heard the prophecy to these three sublime beings? “It was thus: this excellent being, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu, in a future time, after many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of asaṃkhyeyas of eons have passed, will attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood in the world realm Suvarṇaprabhā. ### [4.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.18) He will appear in that world as the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct,³⁴⁷ the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa. “When the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha Suvarṇa­ratnākaracchatra­kūṭa has passed into nirvāṇa and his Dharma has come to an end and his teachings have completely come to an end, at that time, this boy by the name of Rūpyaketu³⁴⁸ will appear as the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha by the name of Suvarṇa­jambudhvajakāñca­nābha in the world realm called Virajadhvajā. “When the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha Suvarṇa­jambudhvajakāñca­nābha has passed into nirvāṇa and his Dharma has come to an end and his teachings have completely come to an end, then this boy by the name of Rūpyaprabha will be the successor of that tathāgata, attaining the highest enlightenment of complete buddhahood in the world realm called Immaculate Banner, appearing as the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Radiance of a Hundred Golden Lights. “All of that was the Bhagavat’s prophecy of their attainment of the highest, most complete enlightenment. ### [4.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.19) “Venerable Bhagavat, Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and the rest of those ten thousand devas have not had such a great, extensive bodhisattva conduct as that. “It is not said that they have previously practiced the six perfections. “It is not said that they have previously given away their arms, legs, eyes, the supreme limb of the head, or their beloved sons, wives, and daughters. “It is not said that they have previously given away wealth, grain, cowries, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryl, conchs, crystals, coral, silver, or gold nuggets. “It is not said that they have previously given away food, drink, steeds, clothes, beds, seats,³⁴⁹ houses, divine palaces, parks, ponds, or pools. “It is not said that they have previously given away elephants, oxen, stallions, male servants, or female servants. “Countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas have, before they received from buddha bhagavats their names as tathāgatas, made countless hundreds of thousands of various offerings to countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas for countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons. They had given away all the things that could be given away. They had given away their arms, legs, eyes, the supreme limb of the head, and their beloved sons, wives, and daughters. They had given away wealth, grain, cowries, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryl, conchs, crystals, coral, silver, and gold nuggets. ### [4.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.20) They had given away food, drink, steeds, clothes, beds, seats, houses, divine palaces, parks, pleasure groves,³⁵⁰ ponds, pools, elephants, oxen, stallions, male servants, and female servants. They had successively completed all the six perfections and, having successively completed all the six perfections, they experienced many hundreds of thousands of kinds of happiness. “Venerable Bhagavat, through what cause and what condition, through what manner of developing good roots, have Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and the rest of these ten thousand devas who have come here to hear the Dharma from the Bhagavat been prophesied to successively appear, Bhagavat, in a future time, after many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of asaṃkhyeya eons, in a world realm called Śālendra­dhvajāgravatī, in the same family, in the same clan, and with the same name, to attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood as ten thousand buddhas by the name of Prasanna­vadanotpala­gandha­kūṭa, becoming tathāgatas, arhats, samyak­saṃbuddhas, with wisdom and virtuous conduct, sugatas, knowers of the world’s beings, unsurpassable guides who tame beings, teachers of devas and humans, buddhas, and bhagavats?” When she had asked that, the Bhagavat said, “Noble goddess, Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and the rest of these ten thousand devas do have a development of good roots, do have a cause, and do have deeds that they have accomplished and accumulated, through which they have come here from the paradise of Trāyastriṃśa in order to hear the Dharma. ### [4.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.21) “Noble goddess, when they heard the prophecy of the enlightenment of these three excellent beings, as soon as they heard it, they gained reverence³⁵¹ for, delight in, and trust in this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, and just through that they had minds that were as completely pure as stainless beryl. They had profound, completely clear minds like pure, extremely vast, and expansive space. They possessed an immeasurable accumulation of merit. “Noble goddess, Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and the rest of these ten thousand devas, in just that way, as soon as they heard this Lord King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, gained reverence for and trust in it. In just that way, they had minds that were as completely pure as stainless beryl, and therefore they attained the level of prophecy. “Noble goddess, it is through this accumulation of good roots and through the power of previous prayers that Jvalanāntara­tejo­rāja and the rest of these ten thousand devas have now obtained the prophecy of their highest, most complete enlightenment.” Chapter 16: Ending Illness “Noble goddess, in the past, in a time gone by—an inconceivable, vast number, more innumerable than an asaṃkhyeya of eons ago—at that time, in that time, the tathāgata arhat samyak­saṃbuddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the one who knows the world’s beings, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of devas and humans, the buddha, the bhagavat by the name of Ratnaśikhin appeared in the world. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, after the Tathāgata Arhat samyak­saṃbuddha Ratnaśikhin had passed into nirvāṇa ### [4.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.22) and the Dharma had vanished and there was just the outer appearance of the Dharma, there was King Sureśvara­prabha, who followed the Dharma, who was a Dharma king, who ruled the kingdom through the Dharma and not through that which was not the Dharma, and who was like a father and mother to the beings who dwelled there. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, in the kingdom of King Sureśvara­prabha, there was a head merchant by the name of Jaṭiṃdhara. He was a doctor, a physician, perfectly skilled in the humors, and was endowed with all eight branches of the Āyurveda tradition. “O noble goddess, at that time, in that time, the head merchant Jaṭiṃdhara had a son named Jalavāhana, who had an excellent body; was attractive and handsome; had a perfect, well-developed, excellent complexion; was learned in various treatises; had the understanding of all treatises; and was perfectly trained in letters, numbers, finger-counting, and calculations. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, many hundreds of thousands of beings living in the kingdom of King Sureśvara­prabha were afflicted by various illnesses, tormented by various illnesses, and were experiencing severe, terrible, unendurable, unpleasant sensations of suffering. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, there arose in Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, great compassion for those many hundreds of thousands of beings who were afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses. He thought, ‘Those beings are experiencing severe, terrible, unendurable, unpleasant sensations of suffering, and my father, this head merchant Jaṭiṃdhara, who is a doctor, a physician, perfectly skilled in the humors, and endowed with all eight branches of the Āyurveda tradition, has become old, decrepit, and feeble. He has reached an advanced age, walks leaning on a stick, and is unable to go to the villages, the towns, the market towns, the countryside, the realm, or the royal capital. ### [4.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.23) Therefore, in order to free those many hundreds of thousands of beings from the afflictions of various illnesses and the torments of various illnesses, I will go to my father, Jaṭiṃdhara, and question him so as to become skilled in the humors in order to heal illness. Having questioned him so as to become skilled in the humors, I will go to the villages, towns, market towns, countryside, realm, and royal capital. When I go there, I will free the many hundreds of thousands of beings from illness.’ “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, went to his father, Jaṭiṃdhara, and having come to him, he bowed down his head in homage at his father’s feet, and with his palms together he sat to one side. When he had seated himself to one side, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, recited these verses to his father, Jaṭiṃdhara, questioning him about skill in the humors: “ ‘How are physical powers destroyed³⁵² And how do the humors change? At what times do illnesses Arise within physical beings? “ ‘What foods should be eaten or not At different times for health, So that within someone’s body The body’s heat³⁵³ will not be harmed? “ ‘What are the medical practices For healing the illnesses That arise from air, from bile, From phlegm, and from their combination? “ ‘During which times does the air move, During which times does the bile move, And during which times does the phlegm move, Through which there will be harm to humans?’ “Then the head merchant, Jaṭiṃdhara, taught his son Jalavāhana skill in the humors by reciting these verses: “ ‘Know three months to be summer and three months the autumn, And there are three that are winter and three that are spring. Similarly, there are said to be six seasons,³⁵⁴ And there are twelve months in one year. ### [4.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.24) “ ‘Know that the months are divided into threes, And that pairs of months are taught. Food and drink are digested accordingly. Thus the physicians teach humors and time. “ ‘The faculties and the humors Are in groups within each year. It is when the faculties transform That various illnesses arise in beings. “ ‘Know that the physician must be skilled In the groups of three and four months, The six times and the six humors, And the food, drink, and medicines that correspond. “ ‘Illness that is primarily air arises in the summer.³⁵⁵ That which arises in the autumn is the movement of bile. Similarly, during the time of winter it is the aggregation, And illness that is primarily phlegm arises in spring.³⁵⁶ “ ‘In summer: oily, warm, salty, and sour tastes; In autumn: the sweet, the oily, and the cool; In winter: the sweet, the oily, and the sour; And in the time of spring, the astringent, pungent, and bitter.³⁵⁷ “ ‘That which is primarily phlegm arises immediately after eating. That which is primarily bile arises during digestion. That which is primarily air arises immediately after digestion. That which is the movement of all three humors is like that. “ ‘That which has the nature of air is healed by nutrition. Laxative medicines are what dispel bile illness. Aggregate illnesses will accord with all three. For the class of phlegm, give emetic medicines. “ ‘Know the groups that are primarily Air, bile, aggregation, or phlegm. Rely upon the medicines, food, and drink For whichever time, humor, and body.’ “Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, through just this inquiry into skill in the humors became learned in all the eight branches of the Āyurveda. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, went throughout all the villages, towns, market towns, countryside, realm, and the royal capital in the kingdom of King Sureśvara­prabha, and he said, ‘I will be a doctor for you many hundreds of thousands of beings who are afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses. ### [4.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4.25) I promise to be your doctor, and I will free you from your various illnesses and bring you relief.’ “Noble goddess, when all those many hundreds of thousands of beings heard those words spoken by Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, they immediately felt great joy. They found relief and had inconceivable joy, happiness, and delight. “At that time, in that time, those many hundreds of thousands of beings who were afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses were completely freed from their illness and became healthy. When they became healthy, they had the same power, strength, and vigor as before. “At that time, in that time, all those who were afflicted with severe illnesses among the many hundreds of thousands of beings that were afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses went to Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son. Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, cured all those beings of all their illnesses by using whatever medical treatments he had given the many hundreds of thousands of beings that were afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses. They became free of illness, or their illness was diminished and they became healthy, and they had the same power, strength, and vigor as before. “Noble goddess, at that time, in that time, Jalavāhana, the head merchant’s son, freed from their various illnesses the many hundreds of thousands of beings who were afflicted by various illnesses and tormented by various illnesses throughout all the villages, towns, market towns, countryside, realm, and the royal capital in the kingdom of King Sureśvara­prabha.” ## Linked texts (1) - [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མདོ་སྡེའི་དབང་པོའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557.4.1-2) — Classical Tibetan --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo-d557~en-84000.4) · Pramāṇa